


Part 15 The Left Hand of a Dark God

by xxxRIPLEYxxx



Series: The Princes of Midgard [15]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Avenger Loki, BDSM, Blowjobs, Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Canon-Typical Violence, Dirty Talk, Established Relationship, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, NSFW Art, Oral Sex, Past Rape/Non-con, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Subspace, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, True Love, Voyeurism, Whipping, minor original female character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:42:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24182290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxRIPLEYxxx/pseuds/xxxRIPLEYxxx
Summary: The boys are all feeling pretty good about life and enjoying the positive response to PeeP’s line of men’s colognes based on their pheromones. But, a haunting figure from Loki’s time with Thanos comes back to find him at the very celebration meant to introduce the three of them together, and she’s out to destroy him and everything he loves. Loki, Steve, and Bucky are in a fight that can affect the entire planet, and at the same time, Steve decides to make a major revelation.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Loki, James "Bucky" Barnes/Loki/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Loki/Steve Rogers
Series: The Princes of Midgard [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1469486
Comments: 29
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kuzibah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuzibah/gifts).



> Notes: I took some liberties with Sylvie’s origin story. In the comics, the second iteration of Enchantress was given all her powers by Loki, but he didn’t create her.
> 
> Please enjoy Aivelin's spectacular art again! His works can be found on Tumblr [here](http://Aivelin.Tumblr.com)  
> He is open for commissions, and you can email him at aivelinsan@gmail.com

“You don’t have to do this, Buck. Honestly, we’ll figure out something else,” Steve explained.

“I’m ok with it, really. As long as it’s not gonna bother you too much. But, I can see it _is_ bothering you, so—“

“I don’t love the idea, either, but I can hardly raise any moral objections. I’ve traded sex for things I want for more centuries than you’ve been alive. Just recently with Grandmaster—“

Steve cut him off.

“We don’t need the details, Loki; and besides, that was different. Lives were at risk. This is just playing into some woman’s fantasies. I don’t think she’d tell anyone about us, anyway, even if we didn’t do what she wants.”

“But, Steve, we don’t know for sure. Neither one of us is willing to risk you being outed like that.”

“I say we do it for now, and then we wait to see what effect the cologne thing has on our images. Maybe in a few months, we can start to gradually show ourselves together more,” suggested Loki.

Steve sighed.

“Guess I’m outvoted on this one. If you two feel that strongly about it, you go ahead, but I’m not doing it.”

“Right, then. Guess I’ll go get ready for my date. I told her I’d pick her up at 7:00 sharp. I already put it off twice, so I don’t want to be late,” Bucky announced and headed for the shower.

The bathroom at Steve’s house was not nearly as luxurious as the one at Loki’s, but it was nice enough. Steve had never been big on luxury, though, and even now, when he had more than enough money to be comfortable, he stayed in this relatively modest little house.

_A fuck-ton better than those freezing cold cells and group showers I spent seventy years in, though. Can’t exactly complain if there isn’t a magical scented bathtub._

He sighed. He really did love the magical scented bathtub.

When he emerged back into the living room wearing dark blue jeans, white Polo shirt, and a grey sport coat, Steve wolf-whistled and Loki circled around him appraisingly, then sniffed him.

“I do have to admit, that cologne is...effective. I’m getting hard just smelling you. But, then again, you’ve always done that to me,” Loki said, nuzzling his neck.

“Yeah, she insisted I wear it. Don’t get too smug, because you’ll be wearing yours, too, when it’s your turn.”

“You should probably walk out that door right now or we might not let you leave at all. It’s pretty tempting to just bind you to the wall and cut those jeans off with a dagger.”

Bucky huffed and gave each of them a quick kiss.

“Don’t worry. I’ll have plenty of energy left. Never met a woman who could wear me down, even before the serum.”

As soon as he’d walked out the door, Steve shot Loki a sideways look.

“You know this is really uncomfortable for me. I feel like I’m running an escort service.”

Loki shrugged.

“He likes women well enough. It won’t exactly be a hardship.”

“So, it doesn’t bother you that he’s on his way to have sex with someone else?”

“Says the man who sent me a hand-written letter asking me to have sex with him when he knew I was with James,” he snorted.

”You do have excellent penmanship, by the way. Very romantic handwriting.” 

“Yeah, after you...um...what would you call it...seduced me? No, that’s not it—tied me up and forced me have sex with you in your sauna—that’s it.”

Loki hooked a finger in Steve’s sweatpants and pulled him forward.

“You weren’t resisting much, were you? All right, then, maybe we should be concerned. Remember what _that_ started. Are you ready to bring in a fourth?”

“Oh, God. With that woman? Don’t even joke about it. Besides, that was different. Buck and I already had history, and by that point, you’d even...ahem...deflowered me, if you’ll recall.”

He raised his eyebrow questioningly and Loki kissed him warmly.

“As if I’d ever forget taking Captain America’s anal virginity. Keep talking about it and I’ll want to do a re-enactment.”

“Mmhm...maybe we should,” Steve whispered, voice low and husky, then stepped back.

“But, we have to wait for Buck to get home to do it right. Want to go grab dinner and then play some blind strip-Jenga? You can always shift your look a little, if you’re worried about me being seen with you.”

*****

It was after 3:00 when Bucky came home exhausted, but he couldn’t help laughing out loud at what greeted him. Loki was sitting on the sofa, head back, legs stretched out, with Steve draped over his lap in a position that didn’t look like it could possibly be comfortable. They were both naked and sound asleep. The naked part wasn’t that unusual, but...

“Oh, my God. Why do I feel like I just got home from Prom and my dads tried to wait up for me?”

Steve’s eyes fluttered open, but Loki’s didn’t, and his head stayed on the back of the sofa as he spoke.

“Well, then, how was your date?”

“Way less weird than this, that’s for sure.”

He strode over to the bar and poured himself a shot of bourbon. Their shot glasses were twelve-ounce tumblers now, because they’d figured out that’s the minimum it took for a brief buzz. He slouched into the big easy chair and chugged half the glass.

“God, it would be nice to be able to get drunk occasionally. So, Cassandra definitely has a thing for bad boys, all right. She was disappointed I wasn’t in full tactical gear and damn near sent me home to change clothes.”

He took another gulp.

“We compromised on me taking off the jacket so everyone could see my arm,” he said, shaking his head.

“I convinced her I really needed a relaxing dinner and a little conversation before...you know. I’m kinda getting more of an idea how women feel sometimes. What’s the word? Objectified? But, I guess I can’t really fault a woman who’s honest about what she wants.”

He stretched and yawned.

“I’m going to bed. You two staying out here?”

He tossed back the rest of his drink and headed into the bedroom, where he shucked his clothes onto the floor and dropped into bed.

“I thought you said you’d have plenty of energy left over, James. Are you really that tired?” Loki asked, a slight edge of annoyance in his voice.

“Yeah. Maybe I’m really feeling my age—she wore my ass out. I already showered at her place, so you two go ahead with whatever you were gonna do.”

He waved a hand and had barely finished his sentence before he was snoring softly.

“Huh. That’s a little disappointing. I’m feeling pretty refreshed after that catnap,” said Steve.

He grabbed Loki by the arm and pulled him into the bathroom, a determined smirk on his face.

“I guess we’ll have to entertain ourselves in the shower.”

”Why, Captain, you’re certainly eager to be clean.”

”If by ‘clean’ you mean eager for you to suck my dick, you’re exactly right,” he murmured into Loki’s ear.

“You don’t fool me, Captain. You just like seeing me on my knees,” Loki teased, turning on the water.

“Mmhm...well, you’re not wrong about that. The blow job is just an added bonus.”

He grinned, stepped into the shower, and leaned back against the tile, his pulse quickening a little and his cock beginning to fill as he watched Loki slide in front of him on his knees like an ice-skater. When did he get so comfortable talking so bluntly about sex? And, how did Loki always manage to look so graceful and feline, no matter what he was doing?

“The blow job is really for me, you know. You’re lucky to have me,” said Loki, his eyes sparkling up at Steve over the growing erection.

He licked a stripe up the shaft and watched it jump at his touch, and it sent a warm surge of energy between his own legs.

“Oh, I know. Bucky was right about that. Sometimes, I do think you could suck my soul right out of me. But, I still can’t believe I let you do it that first time in Athens—in the basement of a pharmaceutical plant, no less. You can tell me and I promise I won’t get mad. Did you use a spell to get me to let you do that?”

Loki rolled his eyes.

“Yes, Steve, I did. A spell called James Buchanan Barnes. Now, stop asking me questions. You know there’s only one thing I’d rather do with my mouth than talk.”

Steve sighed contentedly and ran his fingers through the thick, black hair as he watched the head of his cock disappear between Loki’s lips and the steam swirled around them.

“You know, I always hoped that someday, somehow, Bucky and I could be together, no matter how impossible that sounded. But, how crazy is it that it was _you_ who made it happen?”

Loki hummed his agreement, and it sent waves of electricity up Steve’s spine.

“And, how crazy is it that you and I connected the way we did over Buck, and all the insane stuff that’s happened since then? Sakaar and Vanko and Tony—you know, I still don’t really get that. Why either of you did it.”

One of Loki’s hands slid between Steve’s legs and he automatically spread his thighs apart to give Loki access. He cupped Steve’s balls and squeezed gently, giving him just the right amount of pressure he knew would drive Steve crazy. Or maybe just shut him up. He knew he was rambling a little, but he didn’t care, and he moaned softly as Loki’s eyes met his and that magic tongue teased the underside of his cock.

This—whatever this was with Bucky and Loki—was what he’d dreamt of for so long and never imagined he could possibly really have. The closeness; the easy camaraderie; knowing someone always had your back; and the sex was...well...off the charts, even when it was just normal, like now.

When Loki sucked him in all the way, the back of his head hit the tile wall and he moaned so loudly he thought it might wake Buck.

_God, how can he always do that to me? It never fails._

And then, he was lost in the warm suction of Loki’s mouth.

*****

“Morning, Sunshine.”

Steve kissed Bucky on the cheek and carded his fingers through the long, silky, brown hair.

“Man, it’s getting nearly as long as Loki’s. Maybe you can braid each other’s hair,” he teased, as he watched him squint and rub his eyes, then waited for him to sit up and handed him a cup of coffee.

“Why’d you wake me up at the ass-crack of dawn?”

“It’s not dawn; it’s just overcast and it’s one o’clock in the afternoon. You slept almost ten hours. Loki’s gone to some meeting with Pepper—or maybe to be tortured—it was hard to tell which from his expression.”

“And you stuck around to make me coffee. Always a life-saver. Or, were you hoping I’d spill the beans about why I slept so long?” he asked, eyes crinkling over the rim of his coffee mug.

“Actually, no. The less I know, the happier I’ll be. I just wanted to be sure you were ok before I went for a run. I’ve never seen you that tired from a date before. Hey, want to come with me? Get your blood pumping a little?”

Bucky stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded.

“You’re really serious. A run? Hell, no, I don’t want to come with you. I need to take a piss and eat something. I’m starving.”

As he was making waffles, he debated whether he should tell them everything he knew now, and grinned to himself, finally deciding to let them find out for themselves. The sex had been pretty amazing, but that wasn’t even half of it.

*****

Loki’s meeting with Pepper had gone better than expected. He’d been certain she was going to tell him PeeP was dropping the cologne line due to negative comments about James and him, but it turned out to be just the opposite. She was, if anything, even more enthusiastic than the first time she’d talked about the cologne idea.

“It’s only been two weeks, and it’s doing even better than we’d hoped. We want to start production on body wash soon. Are you up for another photoshoot?”

“Are you telling me people are actually _buying_ this stuff? And, why do we need another photoshoot? You aren’t happy with the first one?”

“All three scents are doing quite well. We’re getting requests for you to do meet-and-greets at industry conventions, now. ‘Captain’ is our biggest seller, but both ‘Loki’ and ‘Winter’ are doing nearly as well. We want to roll out the body wash at the World Perfumery Conference in Miami in a few months, and I’d like all three of you there. Tony and I talked it over, and we think the public will be ready soon to embrace the more...identifiable...looks for you and James on the body wash. We want you in full armor _with_ the helmet, and we want him in full Winter Soldier gear.”

Loki stared at her, then shook his head, incredulous.

“On a bottle of body wash...are you certain Tony is ok with this? I did try to kill him, after all, and James—well—you know what he did. _Those_ are the images you want on your bottles of soap?”

“Yes, I’m certain. He’s known you long enough and well enough now to trust that you aren’t the same people you were then, and he’s willing to give you a chance. You know that. And, I know about your little...fling...awhile back, too. So, yes, he’s ok with it. In fact, he told me to remind you you’re all Shield-Brothers now.”

Loki laughed out loud and rubbed the back of his neck, just realizing he’d picked that little mannerism up from Steve.

“That does sound exactly like something he’d say, because he knows how ridiculous this is. He _would_ invoke the Shield-Brother covenant to get me to do it.”

He shook his head and sighed in resignation.

“I’m just glad Odin isn’t around to see this. He’d disown me all over again, and I can’t imagine Thor will be too thrilled, either. What about Steve? No new photos for him?”

“Oh, yes. We’re taking him the opposite direction. Out of uniform and into super-sexy black-tie formal,” she grinned.

“I wanted to tell you first, so you can take it back to them. I know how convincing you can be, Mr. Silvertongue. We’ll schedule it for the middle of next month.”

And, with that, the meeting was over and Loki flashed out, back to Steve’s house to give them the good news. Well...the news. Their reactions were exactly what he’d expected, but they all knew they’d do it, anyway, and he sighed to himself.

_Me, in full armor, on a bottle of soap. These humans are such embarrassingly odd creatures._

*****

A week passed uneventfully and it was time for Loki’s “date.” Bucky had been grinning and looking like the Cheshire Cat all day, and Steve raised an eyebrow at him several times. Loki was pretending he didn’t notice. He stepped out of the bedroom in a black suit and tie with a pale green shirt that made his eyes look greener than usual, and Bucky was smiling from ear-to-ear.

“Buck, what in the world has you so excited? I mean, yeah, he looks as good as he always does in a suit, but c’mon...”

“I’ll tell you all about it as soon as he leaves. So, Loki, I can smell your cologne. She’ll love it. Are you teleporting or taking a cab?”

“Why would I ever do anything as mundane as a taxicab?”

“Just curious. You know that’ll impress her even more, so be warned.”

“I’m sure I can handle one slightly over-exuberant redhead. See you soon.”

He flashed out, appeared at Cassandra’s front door, and knocked. Her smile when she opened the door was dazzling, and he crooked his arm for her to take as she gave him the address of the restaurant. He did feel just a little guilty that he hadn’t warned her about the momentary disorientation and nausea some people felt teleporting. But, not too guilty. After steadying herself, she led him down a flight of stairs and knocked on a door. A peep hole opened, closed, and then the door was swung open by a very large man who was smiling widely. He reminded Loki a little of Heimdall.

“Good evening, Ms. Elliot. Your regular table is ready.”

She swept into the room and strode to what Loki assumed was her regular table, and all eyes turned to them as he followed her. There was little attempt at being subtle—they weren’t even whispering.

“Oh, my God, he’s so tall...”

“Gorgeous.”

“He can conquer my world anytime.”

Every table was full and there was a line of people leaning against one wall. He pulled her chair out for her while glancing around, taking in everything he could, and the most notable thing was the large number of people in a room with only one door, no windows, and no other visible exit. He couldn’t imagine James being able to tolerate this.

“How did you keep James from turning on his heel and running out of here?”

“I know something about his history. I only invited half this number of people, and I showed him the other exit through the kitchen before he even sat down. Not to mention the secret underground staircase from when this place was a Speakeasy, and that seemed to satisfy him.” 

“Yes, I imagine the secret exit made him very happy,” Loki commented, as a man handed him a wine list.

“All these people were invited, you said?”

“Yes, this is my restaurant. Last week, I invited the President of Bucky’s Brigade and some influential fans of his. This week, it’s all you and Loki’s Army. I’ll introduce you to everyone here. Most of them are in writing, journalism, or public relations. These are the people who are going to help make sure the public sees you as assets and not threats.”

“But _why_? Why would they bother? That’s what I still don’t understand.”

“You’re a legend, for starters. A god straight out of Norse mythology, like Thor. Vikings are very trendy these days, and you’re very literally one of the originals. James’ arm is a technological wonder, not to mention incredibly sexy; plus, you both have looks, charisma, and tragic backstories, and people can’t resist that.”

He shook his head, still not quite believing it.

“If you say so. Why don’t you just order for both of us? My tastes are eclectic enough; I’m sure I’ll love whatever you choose.”

She nodded.

“Eclectic. Mmhm, yes, I’ve heard that about you. James was so busy talking about you and Captain Rogers, it was hard to get him back on himself.”

“That does sound like him. He doesn’t like to talk about himself.”

The server hovered anxiously for a moment, waiting for Cassandra, but glancing repeatedly at Loki .

“The Riesling and the Rioja for starters, please, Sean.”

When he returned, his hands were shaking nearly imperceptibly as he opened the bottles and went through all the steps of the Midgardian wine ritual. Loki watched closely, as he’d only seen it once in person, and found it fascinating. One corner of Cassandra’s mouth quirked up slightly, noticing Sean’s hand quivering.

“He’s a little nervous, serving the Winter Soldier last week and now Loki of Asgard this week, and I can’t blame him. I felt the same when I first met you—like a giddy schoolgirl.”

Loki couldn’t help but be intrigued. This Cassandra was certainly more mature and sophisticated than the one he’d met at Pepper’s big gala. She’d seemed much more like a bored, wealthy dilettante then.

They made small talk as the rest of the diners slowly went back to their meals and the line of people against the wall drank, talked, and cast surreptitious glances their way. Cassandra ordered their main courses, then focused on him.

“I know you’re wondering what I want out of this besides an evening in bed with the famous magical outlaw.”

He tilted his head questioningly.

“And, what would that be?”

“I’ve been fascinated with you for years—your whole story since before you first came to Earth. Your life before the Battle of New York has been the subject of a lot of speculation and analysis, mostly from information filtered through Thor, and I’d like to know more. A lot of people cried when he told us you’d been killed by that Dark Elf monster.”

“That’s hard to believe. Most of Asgard was relieved. Even Thor, I think, although he’d deny it, now.”

“So, here’s what I’d like from you: I’m putting on a fan convention in a couple of months. Well, not just me, but I’m backing a big part of it, and I’d like you, James, and Steve to make an appearance there all together. When it gets out that you’ll actually _be_ there, we’ll have people beating down the doors to get in.”

“Fan convention? I don’t follow.”

“The First Annual LOKICON. It’s what you’d call a festival. Food, drink, merchandise; thousands of people coming to see you, hear you speak, take selfies, and just generally celebrate _you_. And, now, if I have Winter Soldier and Captain America, too, it’s your chance to show the world you’re both part of the team—Captain America’s as well as Iron Man’s. And, it would be one hell of a feather in my cap as as a Public Relations person. And, I want to do that whether we have sex or not. That part’s up to you, too. I told James the same thing.”

Loki was speechless. Thousands of people coming to see _him_? And _James_? Steve, he could understand, but this made no sense. Would Tony even allow such a thing? Odin certainly would not have. No wonder James had been grinning all day, knowing this was about to be sprung on him.

“I—I’ll need to speak with the others, including Tony. As I’m sure you’re aware, we are officially in his custody. He’ll be held responsible if anything goes wrong, so we’ll need his blessing. He’s the closest thing Earth has to a King, after all, whether the government acknowledges it or not.”

“What could possibly go wrong? It’s just a lot of adoring fans celebrating together. Now, are you ready to meet all these people who’ve been waiting so patiently for us to finish our dinners?”

Loki was still in a little bit of a daze, but this was the type of thing he excelled at, and he could be on autopilot.

_Just pretend you’re at court, meeting dignitaries from other realms._

It was midnight by the time they finished and teleported back to Cassandra’s apartment and she handed him a glass of Aquavit.

“That teleport thing is kind of fun, once you get used to it. Here—I don’t have Asgardian Ale, but I heard you like this.”

After a few minutes of chat, she led him to her bed and sat him down to watch her undress for him. She was just as stunning naked as she had been in her gold gown the first time they’d met, and he pushed everything else out of his mind. This was turning out to be a much better night than he'd expected.

“You know, considering his history, James is not nearly so dark as he’s made out to be most of the time. I thoroughly enjoyed our evening together. He’s handsome, funny, smart, considerate, and...really well-hung.”

"Is that something you'd like me to relay to him?" asked Loki, raising an eyebrow.

“If you like, but my point is _you_...you’re the one I've been fascinated with all these years. You're why I'm here."

She began unbuttoning his shirt and he let her do it slowly, rather than making his clothes vanish. She ran her hands down his chest, kissed his belly, and undid his Midgardian trousers. As was often the case, he was not wearing underwear, and her warm breath ghosted over his semi-erection.

“You’re not worried you'll be disappointed? They say you should never meet your heroes. Maybe that goes for villains, too.”

She laughed and slid his trousers off onto the floor.

“If what I see is any indication, you couldn’t possibly disappoint me.”

“I’m glad you like what you see, then.”

When she kissed him, he was surprised at how much of an effect she had on him. Until now, this had been nothing more than a silly game—a challenge—but this...this was genuine. She truly liked him—was maybe a little obsessed with him—and was not afraid of him. She was not hoping to curry favor with Thor or Odin or Frigga or even Tony. She wanted _him_. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with that other than give her everything she wanted, and he kissed her back.

*****

When he teleported home, James and Steve were asleep, but James woke as soon as he arrived and flashed him a huge grin as he sat up in bed.

“So, what do you think?”

“I think you probably got an inordinate amount of entertainment out of imagining how my evening went.”

He crawled into bed and nudged Steve.

“I have a surprise for you. I was able to negotiate a trade. In exchange for you not having sex with Cassandra, she’s willing to accept a new cell phone and you saying a few words and signing autographs at LOKICON.”

Steve’s eye rolls were generally fairly subtle, but this one was not.

“Good to know exactly how much I’m worth. I'm a little hurt that you didn’t throw in at least a couple of goats and a bolt of silk, though.”

“Steve, are you sure you're truly comfortable with this LOKICON thing?” asked Loki, suddenly turning serious.

“As long as Tony’s on board, I’m fine with it. I don’t think we’ll ever get a better chance,” Steve said, putting an arm around Loki’s waist and pulling him in.

“You know how much you both mean to me. Whatever it takes,” he murmured sleepily.

Loki’s pulse raced momentarily, and then he got it under control.

 _How much you_ both _mean to me? Does he know what he just said?_

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’ll be fun,” said Bucky, yawning, and rolled back to sleep.

Loki lay there awake for a long time, his mind swirling with thoughts of what Cassandra had said mixing with thoughts of Steve. He’d always assumed the public feared and despised him (with good reason). But, perhaps enough time had passed since his ill-conceived invasion combined with Lethal Weapon's successful missions under Tony's watch that public sentiment was softening a bit. He’d also assumed he’d come to care much more about Steve than the converse, and the idea that Steve might actually love him, even a little, started him thinking that the three of them could have a real future together. He didn’t doubt James loved him, and that was enough. He’d been prepared to matter to Steve only because he mattered to James, but, after all the disappointments in his life, the thought of truly being loved by the two people he cared about most was almost overwhelming. 


	2. Chapter 2

LOKICON 2019, JAVITZ CENTER, NEW YORK CITY

Steve had, of course, been part of similar events before, even though he hadn’t enjoyed them much. Having people publicly gush over him made him uncomfortable, and he was always glad to leave those events. He participated mainly to show appreciation for the people who loved Captain America and whenever The Avengers needed some good public relations. But, Loki and Bucky? For them, this was completely unknown territory and they anxiously looked to him for guidance.

“Jesus, Steve...look at this...” Bucky said with awe in his voice, gazing from backstage out over the sea of faces in the hall. Three thousand people, half of whom were in costume, dressed as Loki, Captain America, or Winter Soldier; and there were a thousand more outside, hoping to catch a glimpse. Gender did not appear to be a deterrent on costumes, either. There were both male and female versions of all three of them, and Loki was entranced by all of it.

People backstage gathered around him and at one point, several knelt in front of him and asked to be touched, and a few gave him small gifts. A shy young woman, barely able to look at him, gave him a small box with Yggdrasil engraved on the top, and a young man covered in tattoos gave him a gold charm that was a tiny replica of his helmet. They asked for his _blessing_ , as if he were able to bestow such a thing. Certainly, they gathered around Steve and James, too, but it was clear _he_ was the main attraction, and it was utterly bewildering.

“I—don’t even know what to think. This is the closest thing to being worshipped I’ve ever felt. Even in the old days, no one worshipped _me_.”

“No? Why not?”

“Who worships Mischief and Chaos, and the god who’s prophesied to bring about the end of the world? People worship gods who help them defeat their enemies in battle, have children, have a bountiful crop—I am none of those. I cannot imagine what these people are thinking or why they would do this.”

“Maybe...they want a god who doesn’t care if they aren’t great warriors or don’t have children, or can’t grow crops, or their skin is a different color—like you. A god who doesn’t care who they love and who doesn’t bow to the accepted norm. That’s _you_ , Loki. It’s all _you_.”

James' eyes were shining with emotion and Steve nodded. He didn’t say anything more, because Bucky had said it all, and he squeezed Loki’s hand.

Cassandra stood in the middle of the stage with a microphone, confident and elegant. She introduced Steve, then Bucky, then Loki, with great fanfare as they strode onto the stage waving and smiling. The crowd was _happy_ ; chanting, waving tokens and flags of green and gold, black and silver, or red and blue. It was surreal, beautiful, and a moment Loki would remember for the rest of his life, even if he did manage to live another four thousand years. He’d never been more glad of his eidetic memory and he’d carry this sight and these emotions with him as long as he lived. His chest tightened and there were tears in his eyes as the voices reverberated through the hall.

“ _LO-KI—LO-KI—LO-KI—LO-KI”_

It went on for a full two minutes—this exquisite dream—the crowd chanting his name as he dropped to his knees and held out his arms, offering himself up to them like a sacrifice. For the first time in his thousand years of life, he felt _worshipped_. _Loved_.

And then, the sky fell.

*****

It started slowly at first, chunks of concrete and steel beams dropping from the ceiling into the mass of people. Bucky and Steve leapt off the stage and ran for the doors, ripping them off their hinges and clearing the way for people to get out. Steve caught several steel beams before they crushed people and Bucky threw himself over a young couple, then smashed his way through the debris with his metal arm, carrying them to the door.

Loki grabbed Cassandra, teleported her outside, then came back to the stage and morphed full armor around himself. He could feel the magic in the air and was scanning the room, trying to find the source. As more and more of the structure fell around him and the dust thickened, he was finally able to focus on a hazy figure standing on a balcony at the back of the hall, unmoving, its arms extended upward. It was the source, and he fired off half-a-dozen ice-balls, just to see them dissipate when they hit a red bubble around the figure.

He changed tactics and sprayed the air with magic to counteract the other mage’s, preventing it from reaching the ceiling, but too much damage had already been done. As debris continued to fall, he formed a protective bubble around as much of the crowd as he could. Stone and steel rained down on the shimmering green hemisphere, but it held. Steve and James were getting people out as fast as they could, but they were getting hit, too.

Steve could see Loki, palms up, straining, trying to hold the protection magic until the people who were not under it could be gotten out.

“LOKI!! CAN YOU HOLD?”

He was concentrating so hard, Steve’s voice barely registered, but he responded.

“LONG ENOUGH.”

Steve nodded. He and Bucky had immediately fallen into rhythm with each other, knocking away chunks of concrete and steel, clearing a path. Finally, there were only the people under the bubble—six or seven hundred, maybe, and Loki began slowly sliding it toward the exits on the west side of the building, while stone and metal continued to bounce off it. When the edge of the bubble reached the doors and all the people had gotten through, Loki collapsed to his knees.

Steve and Bucky sprinted towards him, but he waved them off and pointed to the figure across the hall. Its arms were not extended now, and it moved towards them until Loki could see through the dust. It was a woman, very tall and slim and black-haired. She looked a lot like Hela, which it obviously couldn’t be. But, it couldn’t be the other woman she looked like, either.

_No...it can’t be. She’s gone. I banished her to Hel._

Steve and Bucky were going full speed when they bounced violently off her protection spell and hit the ground hard. The woman motioned with her hand and a chunk of concrete smashed into Steve, taking him down flat on his back, and he groaned in pain. Before she could repeat the motion, Loki teleported to a spot between them and her.

“Hello, Loki, my love. As handsome as ever, I see. Is that magic in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

“ _Sylvie,”_ he snarled _._

“Impossible. How did you get here?”

She was as tall as Loki, with green eyes and long black hair, and she flashed him a smile that lit up her face. Steve and Bucky both gasped at the similarity—they could be siblings. Both their fingertips crackled with magic, his green and hers red.

“Impossible? Improbable, I’ll give you that. But, I’m not Sylvie anymore. Sylvie’s dead, thanks to you. Call me Enchantress.”

In the microsecond Loki’s right hand raised toward her, she disappeared.

Bucky and Steve stiffly got to their feet, bloody and bruised, and Steve couldn’t put weight on his left leg. Loki locked eyes with him for a moment as he put a hand to Steve’s leg and briefly sent some healing magic into it.

“I’ll explain later and I’ll do more after we’re done with the others.”

By the time police and ambulances arrived, they’d pulled another few dozenpeople from under the debris. A few dead, but most still alive. Steve spotted the people in charge and headed toward them, left arm around Bucky’s shoulder for support.

“Let me do the talking.”

“Fine by me. Loki and I can be doing other things while you talk.”

Bucky handed Steve off to a burly policeman and turned back towards the building. Loki spent the next hour teleporting the most seriously injured to hospitals, stabilizing them as much as he could with healing spells, but he was running low on magical energy, because he was using it faster than it recharged. Bucky spent the hour looking for anyone they’d missed the first time, and he found eight more survivors buried under rubble. Steve spoke to the police and reporters and then tried to make his way to Bucky. His face was twisted in pain and his left leg was so useless, he was hopping on his right.

“Steve! Stop. Jesus...please, just don’t move. I’ve got you.”

He lay Steve down on the sidewalk and yelled at Loki, who also looked a little unsteady on his feet, but turned towards them.

“What’ve you got left?”

Bucky tried to rip away the uniform covering Steve’s left thigh, but Tony had done too good a job with the Vibranium fibers in the cloth—it wouldn’t tear. Loki squatted next to Steve and spread both hands over the hard lump in his thigh and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

“Femur’s broken. I don’t have much left, but I can relieve the pain and help it realign until the serum can do its work.”

Steve heaved a sigh of relief as the pain ebbed away.

“Give me a minute to recharge, and I can teleport us to Tony’s. How are you, James? You look a little beat-up, but I’ve seen you look much worse.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Cuts and bruises is all, and maybe a cracked rib or two. Left arm took most of what came at me. I’ll be all good in an hour or two.”

Loki kept one hand open on Steve’s thigh, pulled James in with the other, and kissed him as they disappeared in a flash of green.They reappeared in his apartment at Tony’s and lay Steve on the bed. After a few minutes, Loki put his hand back on Steve’s thigh and helped the healing along again, and he and Bucky sat on the edge of the bed.

“Ok, Loki. What the hell just happened? Who is she?” Steve asked.

He took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts.

“I—I know _who_ she is, I just don’t know _why_ she is.”

“Stop being cryptic and spill it,” said Bucky.

“All right, all right. Her name is Sylvie, and I...created her. But, then I banished her to Hel. She should not have been able to free herself.”

“You _created_ her? You mean like you’re her father?”

“No, not exactly. I—I don’t know if I can make you understand what she was to me. When Thanos...when I was with Thanos...I was desperate; unstable. He was fascinated with how I could heal, and he tested me again and again. Once, his Lieutenants held me down while he...cut out my eyes and force-fed them to me. When they didn’t grow back, he killed me. He did that more than once, when I couldn’t regrow a limb or...a kidney. Just killed me and started over."

“My God, Loki...why haven’t you ever told us any of this?” Steve asked, incredulous.

“Because I couldn’t have you looking at me the way you’re looking at me right now. I’m just trying to make you understand where my mind was when I did what I did.”

“He looked at me that way a lot at first, after I came back. He can’t help it, when he cares about someone who’s been through some shit. Go ahead and finish,” said Bucky.

Loki nodded and continued.

“My mind was close to breaking forever and I needed something—some _one_ —to help me. I convinced him to let me make a clone...an insurance policy...a replacement if anything happened to me. So he wouldn’t have _wasted_ all the time he’d spent _teaching_ me.”

The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable. He paused, looking at the floor, not meeting either of their eyes.

“With his help, I—I _made_ her. From my left hand...after he’d ripped me apart...one of the times he’d dismembered and then resurrected me.”

“But...how could you have used your left hand to make her, if you can’t regrow limbs? You’ve still got two hands.”

“Because, when he’d tear me apart and then resurrect me, he’d regrow a new body out of whatever piece was left that he chose at random, so that...when I woke up...I could see the pile of slaughtered flesh that had been...me.”

“Jesus Fucking Christ.”

Bucky’s voice was barely a whisper.

“I know you’ve told us some about what he did to you, but I’ve never gotten such a graphic image in my head before.”

“Those scars on your back—the cross-hatches that look like a Tic-Tac-Toe board—were those from him?” Steve asked.

Loki blinked hard and dropped his eyes again.

“After the last time he resurrected me, he had his minions use a piece of my broken humerus to cut me—to mark me—each one a separate line...five of them...so I wouldn’t forget who I _belonged_ to. And, once I was free of him, I vowed I’d _never_ forget, even if it took the rest of my life. That I’d keep those marks until I knew they were all dead.”

“Holy Fuck, Loki. I’m so sorry.”

Bucky gathered him into an embrace, but Loki shrugged.

“Don’t be sorry, James. It wasn’t your fault, and I don’t want you to dwell on this. You have enough of your own trauma to handle.”

“My God, Loki...I remember thinking how brutal those looked. I...”

“Please, Steve, don’t worry about those. We have more pressing matters right now.”

“I know, I know. Ok, so this Sylvie is your clone, only much more complex than what you can make by yourself. She’s a real person. Why is she female?”

“He wanted her female. For ‘balance,’ you know? That’s just how he thinks. It went well, at first. I was, I suppose, a father of sorts, a mentor, a lover—“

“Wait, what? You made her from part of your own body, and you were lovers? That’s a little creepy, Loki...Jesus.”

“Buck, you don’t know much about Norse mythology, do you?” Steve asked gently.

Loki shook his head.

“No, it’s all right. But, let me ask you something, James. You and Steve, you were raised in Christian mysticism, correct?”

“We were raised Catholic, if that’s what you mean, yeah.”

“And, according to your religion, the first man was Adam, yes? Where did Eve come from?”

He looked startled for a second.

“Adam’s rib...oh...ok, I get it. Sorry.”

“Where was I? Oh, yes...I taught her magic, and her natural abilities were the equal of mine. For the first time, I had hope that together we might defy Thanos and take the Tesseract for ourselves. I...loved her...as much as I could have loved anyone, then. But, she turned on me. Perhaps I should have seen it coming—she was _me_ , after all.”

He laughed bitterly and ran a hand through his hair.

 _“She_ wanted to be Thanos’ chosen weapon, his General, to lead his armies against Earth. We were both so utterly devoted to _him_ , it was inescapable. We fought and we both nearly died, but I was able to bind her magic and banish her to Hel. As far as I knew, she was still there. I have no idea how she could have freed herself, but one thing is clear—she wants vengeance. She’ll stop at nothing to watch me die, but not until I’ve suffered as much as she can make me suffer. And...now you know, and I’m glad you do. One less secret to keep.”

“Does Thor know? Have you ever talked to him about her?” asked Steve.

“No. Once you defeated me and Thor took me back to Asgard, I saw no reason to tell anyone about her or about what Thanos had done to me. It would only have made them pity me, and that would have been worse than the dungeon. The only thing I had left was my pride.”

He got to his feet.

“And, now, I have to tell Tony.”

And, then, he was gone, and Bucky turned to Steve.

“You remember me telling you I was amazed he isn’t a fuck-ton crazier than he is? That goes double now. God damn it, Steve. What do we do now?”

“What we’ve always done for each other—what we’ve done for him and he’s done for us since we’ve been together—we have his back. We fight whoever we have to fight.”

”Yeah, it always ends in a fight, doesn’t it?”

Steve slapped an arm around his shoulder and nodded.

*****

Loki knocked, the door opened, and Tony was on his cell phone. He held up his index finger at Loki.

“Yes, of course, Mr. Mayor. We’ll get to the bottom of it and figure it out, I promise. I’ll let you know as soon as _I_ know.”

He ended the call and sat down.

“It’ll be awhile before we have all the numbers, but right now it looks like a hundred-eighty-seven dead and six hundred-forty-six injured, several of whom may still die. Talk to me. Sit. I’ll do the pacing for both of us.”

Loki told him almost everything he’d told Steve and James, and Tony was silent as he walked to the bar and poured them each a large drink.

“Aquavit, right?”

Loki nodded and took it.

“So, what now? Can you find her?”

“I don’t know. I can send out feelers that will let me know if someone’s using magic, but my range is not the entire planet. I don’t know if she can teleport the same distances I can, but, if she can, she could be anywhere in the nine—eight—realms now. She can’t go to other galaxies, though. I have to use the Tesseract to do that.”

“Well, that’s comforting.”

“I’d work on the assumption she’s still on Earth, probably in this city. I don’t think she’ll be too far away because she’ll want to watch. She’ll stay out of sight, not use magic, and wait to see how much damage this does. How much it hurts me—emotionally, politically, whatever—because that will determine what she does next. We’ll have a week, at least, while she waits for the fallout.”

“You sound very certain. How do you know this?”

“Because she’s...me, and that’s what I’d do.”

He groaned and leaned back, closing his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Tony. If I hadn’t been there, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“I’m betting it would still have happened. Even without you there, it was LOKICON, for crying out loud. What better way for her to hurt you than to maim and kill people who like you and that you, presumably, like back?”

“Will the government try to use that against me—against James—to try to make you give us up to them?”

“It’s possible they’ll try, but they’ll have a hell of a fight on their hands. Especially with all the videos coming out.”

“What videos?”

“Cell phones. Dozens of them. Captain America catching steel beams, tossing car-sized chunks of concrete around; Winter Soldier protecting people with his own body, pulling people out of the wreckage; and somehow, someone got a perfect shot of you, on stage in full armor, going spell-for-spell against her and throwing that giant green soap bubble out there. Pretty dramatic seeing concrete and metal bounce off it like it was magic.”

Tony grinned at his own joke.

“How are Rogers and Barnes?”

“James is fine. Just superficial damage, but I need to check on Steve. His femur was broken. I know he’s healing, but I can probably finish the job, now. Again, thank you, Tony. I didn’t think you’d throw us to the wolves, but it’s good to hear you say it.”

“Just be sure you’re being obvious about staying here, since I’m your official keeper. They’d shit bricks if they knew the truth—that I have about as much control over you two as they do.”

“What you have is better than control, Tony. You have our loyalty. You’re our Shield-Brother and much more than that. So, please, be careful and don’t talk to strangers until we catch her. Her shape-shifting skills are no match for mine, but she has them, and she may come after you to hurt me.”

“I won’t pick up any strangers, I promise.”

“Just to be safe, let me put a tracking spell into you like James and Steve have. Please.”

“Huh. If you'd asked me a year ago, I wouldn’t have let you, but yeah...go ahead.”

Loki kissed him firmly on the lips, holding it for a few seconds.

“What was that?” Tony asked.

“A nice way to place a tracking spell.”


	3. Chapter 3

They showered, ate, and fell into bed. With Loki’s help, Steve’s leg was completely healed, and he was spooning Loki, with Bucky at his back. Bucky was studying the ceiling, wrestling with whether or not to ask Loki something, and finally decided to just come out with it.

“Loki. I want to ask you something. You don’t have to answer, but I just...I can’t help but wonder. When you were with Thanos, did you...did he...did he rape you, too?”

Steve felt Loki’s body stiffen.

“God, Buck...why would you ask something like that?”

“I’m sorry—you’re right—forget I asked. I just thought it might help to talk about that, too, if it happened. You know how you were always after me to talk about shit, and from what Loki’s told us, I see Thanos being completely capable of rape. He’s a cult leader with superpowers.”

Loki was quiet for so long, Steve figured that was the end of it, but he finally answered.

“Yes. Both of us. But, he didn’t call it rape, of course, and neither of us thought of it like that at the time. We were just doing what he wanted because he wanted it, like everything else. He made me shift to female because he...doesn’t like men.”

“Is that why we’ve never seen you in female form? I mean, I know you can do that, but I don’t need you to. I love you the way you are. I just wondered.”

“Yes. I just don’t want to—do that anymore.”

Steve pulled him in tight and wrapped a leg around his thighs.

“Well, so now you’ve told us that, too, and Loki...neither of us cares about that. Honestly, I’ve never even thought about making love to you with you as a woman. I love you the way you are, too.”

And, just like that, he’d said it—that he loved Loki.

Bucky grinned. He’d known it, of course, but he’d always known a lot of things about Steve before Steve did. Loki took a few moments to absorb it before he responded.

“I love you, too, Steve. I’ve known it since the moment in St. Petersburg when I walked out the door with Vanko and thought I’d never be back.”

*****

They fell into an exhausted sleep, until Bucky woke three hours later with a start and shook the other two awake.

“Cassandra! If Sylvie’s been watching, she knows...she’ll hurt Cassandra.”

Loki sat bolt upright, panic on his face.

“Damn. How did I miss that!? I have to go get her.”

He blinked out without even thinking to put on clothes, and when he was back in a few minutes with Cassandra on his arm, he was still naked. Steve and Bucky had put on underwear, but Loki just shrugged.

“It’s not like anyone here hasn’t seen me naked.”

“No, this isn’t awkward at all,” Steve retorted, glaring at Loki until he summoned a gold silk bathrobe.

Cassandra set a small piece of luggage on the living room floor and glanced around, eyes lingering on each of them a moment, then sat on the sofa.

“Ok, I took it seriously when he said I was in danger and I needed to come with him. Now, will someone _please_ explain what the hell is going on?”

Bucky and Steve retreated to the kitchen while Loki explained. He gave her the most relevant information, but none of the detail. It was just enough to make her understand that Sylvie might want to kidnap or kill her to get to him, and she got it immediately.

“I think she needs to stay with us until this is over,” Bucky suggested, emerging from the kitchen with a beer.

“She can stay at my place. It’s right next door, and you can put some magic protection thingies on it, can’t you?”

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking, too,” Loki said, and motioned for Cassandra to follow him. They talked for awhile more as he settled her in and showed her around, then slipped a tracking spell into her while she hugged him. He cast a protection ward just before leaving.

“Thank you, Loki, for thinking of me. I hope you’re wrong, but thanks, anyway.”

She kissed him on the cheek just before he flashed away. As soon as he teleported back into his living room, he heard noises coming from the bedroom—delicious noises—and he stopped at the bedroom door. James was straddling Steve, riding him, grinding down on him with his head thrown back, Steve gripping his hips. Loki leaned against the door jamb to watch, eyes darkening as their moans mixed and the scent of sex and male sweat permeated the air.

“ _Oh...fuck, yeah_. _..that’s it_ ,” Bucky gasped out, lifting up and sliding down in slow, even strokes.

“God, Steve...I fucking love your cock.”

As soon as he noticed Loki watching, he leaned back, took hold of himself with his metal hand, and arched an eyebrow at him.

“You gonna join us or just watch?”

Loki sat down on the easy chair next to the bed, opened his robe, and leaned back.

“Hmm...I think maybe I’ll just enjoy the show,” he answered, voice low and husky.

Steve raised his hips off the bed, lifting James up almost to his knees, and Loki’s breath caught in a little moan. Steve knew what it did to Loki seeing his leg muscles working like that—knew he had a special thing about his thighs. Loki’s cock hardened and curved and the tip rubbed against his skin, leaving drops of moisture, but he didn’t touch himself.

James was leaning backwards, steadying himself with one arm while the other moved on his cock, and Steve drove up into him harder and harder.

“ _Mmmh_... _oh_...God, _Buck_...I love to _fuck_ you...love to _feel_ you...love that you’re _mine_...”

Steve didn’t talk much during sex, but when he did, it sent bolts of electricity straight down Loki’s spine. Hearing Steve’s voice thick with emotion made his dick twitch up and down against his abdomen, and he wondered if he could come without touching himself. It was starting to feel likely. He focused on the two perfect, muscular bodies working together, sweating, starting to pant, and how the light shone on their glistening skins. How beautiful and powerful James’ metal arm was as it moved up and down. How Steve’s fingers dug into James’ hips, and how their breathing was shallow and throaty and full of raw emotion.

James let go of himself and leaned forward into Steve, mouth covering his in a deep, crushing kiss, one arm on either side of Steve’s head. That let Loki see Steve’s cock moving in and out, shining with lube, long and thick and flushed dark, and he groaned out loud. James’ weight slowly pushed Steve’s hips back down onto the bed, demanding more and more. Loki was starting to sweat a little himself, now, and drops of pre-cum dripped onto his abdomen. The grunts and murmurs of pleasure shot straight from his ears to his cock and the sounds of both of them about to come made it twitch to his heartbeat. He had no doubt now he could come with only the sight, scent, and sound of them, and he sank back hard into the chair.

Steve’s hands brushed up and down James’ ribs and back, sliding along the rippling muscle as his cock pushed deeper and deeper.

“ _Ah, Buck_...I don’t think I can hold on much longer...God, you’re just—too _much_.”

Steve’s hand slid in between them, grabbing James’ cock and pumping it in rhythm to his thrusts, and Loki’s hands tightened on his own thighs, fingers digging in until they turned white. The scent of sex in the air was nearly overpowering now and was pulling him even closer to the edge.

_“Oh...FUCK...Steve!”_

Bucky fairly screamed Steve’s name as he sprayed cum all over his chest. A few more powerful thrusts up and Steve came apart, too, eyes squinted shut and lips parted, breathing Bucky’s name.

“ _AH...Buck...damn...”_

Loki came right after Steve, spraying white ribbons all over himself, hands still clenched on his thighs. He caught his breath, then smiled and raised his eyebrows when Steve looked over at him.

“Did you just—“

“I certainly did. That was quite a show. No hands needed.”

“Damn, Loki. I’m sorry I missed that,” said James, looking over his shoulder with a little grin as he dropped onto the bed next to Steve.

Loki magicked the cum off himself, then slid out of his robe and onto the bed on the other side of Steve. His voice dropped low and soft, suddenly sounding close to breaking. The last twenty-four hours had brought back some of the most painful memories of his life, and he was grateful to have James and Steve.

“What you two did today—saving all those people—just being who you are, and now, this—I don’t deserve either one of you.”


	4. Chapter 4

As Loki predicted, a week passed before the second bomb dropped. There was a knock at his door and Steve opened it to Tony, who strode into the room looking angry and agitated.

“Turn on the news.”

There was the video of Loki on stage in armor, casting the protective bubble around the crowd, and a photo of a man in his early forties.

_“...Darryl Longworth, who had told police Loki Odinson paid him to shoot the video so he would appear to be a hero, was found dead in his home when NYPD arrived to speak to him and gather evidence. According to Mr. Longworth, Loki and the woman he was fighting were actually working together. An arrest warrant has been issued for Odinson, and authorities are asking that he come forward to remand himself into custody. The woman, who, according to Steve Rogers and James Barnes, identified herself only as Enchantress, is being sought for questioning as a possible accomplice.”_

“ _What_?! That’s insane!” Bucky yelled at the television.

“She set him up, obviously. Somehow,” said Steve.

“Loki?” Tony raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

“Are you asking me if I really did that?”

Tony sighed, dropping onto the sofa and running a hand through his hair.

“No. I know you didn’t do that. You’ve worked too hard to protect Cap to do something that stupid. But, what _did_ happen?”

“My guess? She put a charm spell on someone she chose at random to have him shoot the video and then she killed him. The next step in order to make my life a living hell. She has no remorse or conscience—she never has had—and my original mistake was believing she did. How could she, considering her genetics and environment? I was certainly no role model.”

“Are you going to give yourself up and try to clear your name?” Tony asked.

“I—I can’t. If I give myself up, they’ll turn me over to Fury or to the military, either of whom may very well have some way to stop me from using magic. Something like the collar Vanko made—who knows? And, if I run—if I leave Earth—that’ll prove them right. So, I’ll either be powerless or gone and she’ll be free to do whatever she wants. She’ll destroy this city, this country, maybe even the planet bit by bit, because she knows I care about it.”

“Ok, so how about your house? You could go to the house for a few days and let Tony negotiate with the police...maybe some sort of compromise. Buck and I can stay here to protect Cassandra and do whatever else we can,“ suggested Steve.

“Probably a good idea. It’ll give me time to think, at least, without putting Tony in a bad position for not giving me up. He’ll be able to honestly say he has no idea where I am.”

He half-smiled at Tony and disappeared in a flash of green.

*****

By the third day of sleepless pacing and rejecting idea after idea, Loki finally began to formulate a plan. It had a lot of moving parts, and that increased the chance of failure, but it was all he had. It hinged on Tony’s willingness to be taken captive by the clone of a man who’d already tried to kill him once.

He teleported back to Tony’s, got all of them together, and explained his plan. Tony whistled through his teeth and met Loki’s eyes.

“How do you know she won’t just kill me outright?”

“Because she’ll want you alive to use as leverage to get me to surrender in exchange for you. She’d do the same with Steve or James, but they’d be harder to contain, as far as she knows. She probably doesn’t know you can access your suit at will, now. So, we make it easy for her to take you. I promise I _will_ make her believe I’m giving myself up to her. I am the God of Lies, am I not?”

“And, Loki, leave the tactics to me. Bucky and I are no strangers to this kind of thing. It’ll be like old times for us.”

“I’m counting on it,” Loki said, meeting Steve’s eyes.

“The things I do for this city...first _you_ , and now the _other_ you,” Tony muttered, shaking his head.

*****

For the next few days, the news had field days, one building on the next.

_Where is the God of Mischief and why is he refusing to come forward?_

_Tony Stark claims he doesn’t know where Loki is. Can he be trusted?_

_Is Winter Soldier protecting his partner?_

_Three more people die from injuries sustained at LOKICON._

_Manhunt is on for God of Mischief. Call our hotline if you’ve seen him._

_Who is the mystery woman and how much power does she really have? Was it all Loki the whole time?_

Loki knew the last one would get to her. She was trying to make him look guilty, but the idea that anyone thought it was _all_ _him_ would be too much, and she’d show her hand soon. She needed that validation of her power just as he had when he was with Thanos, and the knife in his heart twisted just a little.

_*****_

Cassandra seemed to have adapted well to “protective custody” at Tony’s. A little too well, perhaps, according to Tony. She had high-speed internet with all the bells and whistles, access to the gym, and was a reasonably good cook. She’d even had them over to Bucky’s place for dinner and he was amused by the decorating changes she’d made.

“Love what you’ve done with the place,” he exclaimed, digging into his oversized plate of home-cooked ravioli.

Cassandra had been astounded by how much they ate. Superhuman and alien metabolism apparently required a LOT of fuel, and she’d made copious notes about it. She seemed to be doing that a lot, and Steve commented on it.

“You’re keeping busy,” he remarked casually, gesturing at her laptop and the piles of papers next to it.

“You have no idea. Figured I’d make good use of all this alone time by writing, and it’s going pretty well.”

“Writing what? Loki asked.

“About you three—all of this—starting with my...encounter with you at Pepper’s party. By the time this is over, I’ll have a New York Times Bestseller on my hands.”

Bucky’s furrowed brow and icy glare brought her enthusiasm up a little short.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll get final approval before it goes to the publisher. I won’t give away any secrets—unless, of course, you’re ready for that by the time I go to print. It’s mostly observational and personality studies and vignettes. You _are_ very interesting people, after all. Besides, I’m keeping a close eye on everything that’s happening with the manhunt for Loki. You know he was sighted at a club in Rio de Janeiro last night?”

She snorted laughter. Steve huffed and rolled his eyes a little before going back to his dinner.

“We’ll see,” said Loki.

*****

Tony began establishing a pattern of walking alone in Central Park in the evenings, hoping to flush Sylvie out, so they could put Loki’s plan to work. But, the next storm broke less than a week after Loki’s arrest warrant had been issued, and it was worse than the last.

According to witnesses, Loki had casually strolled into New Asgard looking for Brunhilde, and had found her at a park in the middle of a celebration marking the one-year anniversary of the founding of the settlement. Without speaking or even waiting to be acknowledged, he’d hit her in the back with a fireball and sent her sprawling across the grass. By the time she’d recovered and turned to face him, he’d sent a whirlwind of fire and uprooted trees through the crowd of Asgardians, killing fourteen of them. There were three children among the dead.

The press swarmed into New Asgard like raptors, interviewing everyone who’d speak to them and filming the devastation—the trees, the blackened craters in the ground, the scattered personal belongings—everything. One of the children had been playing with two small action figures, one of Thor and the other of Loki, and a photo of the two charred toys laying side-by-side in the dirt immediately went viral on social media with the caption: “LOKI WHY?”

“It never occurred to me that she’d take vengeance on New Asgard. She never even knew any of them and I’ve kept my distance since we first arrived on Earth. She’d have no way of knowing if I cared about them at all.”

“Well, she’d know how they got here, and you made that happen, so I guess that’s reason enough. This woman is undoing everything you’ve done in the past year. She’s killing people just to fuck with you,” Bucky fumed.

And, Loki and Steve both knew he was right. People were beginning to turn against Loki again, just as Sylvie had wanted, and Bucky and Steve were drawing a lot of negative attention, too. They’d each been interviewed by the police twice now, and had managed not to give anything away while not outright lying, but it was becoming more difficult. They had to find Sylvie soon or it would be too late to matter. Surprisingly, Brunhilde herself was the one who had come to Loki’s defense in an interview, when asked by a journalist why Loki might do such a thing.

“I don’t believe he did. The Loki who fought beside Thor and me at the Battle of the Bifrost could never have done this. It was Loki who saved them in the first place, by stealing that cargo ship so they could come here. And, there’s something else—the fire was wrong. I’m no expert on magic, but Loki’s always shows up as blue or green. I don’t know why, but it does, and this fire was red. It was _her_.”

Then, she looked directly into the camera and chose her words carefully.

“Loki, I know this wasn’t you. It was that Enchantress bitch. You have to catch her before she kills more people.”

“At least the Valkyrie understands. Whether the others do or not I have no way of knowing. Three children—she killed three _children_ , just to get to me. We have to stop her _now_.”

*****

There had been a fundraiser scheduled for the victims of the LOKICON disaster, and they didn't want to cancel it, for several reasons. But, Loki couldn’t make an appearance and they figured it would be best if James didn’t, either, so Steve volunteered. One of them needed to be there, in spite of everything, and he was still the least “tarnished” in the public eye.

He’d expected to be confronted by the media the entire time, and had mentally prepared for it. He’d deflected or answered questions all afternoon about Loki’s whereabouts, how much he knew, and how much Bucky knew. He’d stopped pretending to be unconnected to Loki and was clear in his support, and that came back to bite him when he was mobbed by reporters as he made his way out of the building.

“Captain Rogers! What do you think about the newest developments? Fourteen dead—do you think it was Loki?”

He stopped walking and faced the batch of microphones that had been shoved in his face.

“All of you, just stop. You heard it from the Queen of New Asgard herself. That wasn’t Loki—it was Enchantress, just like we’ve been saying all along. Loki didn’t stage the fight, he didn’t kill Darryl Longworth, and he didn’t attack New Asgard. I know him and I know he didn’t do any of those things.”

“Then why is he still in hiding? Why are you protecting him? Are you a little biased, Captain Rogers?”

“What do you mean ‘biased’? Just because I’m saying he’s innocent?”

“Would you care to comment on this, Cap?”

Someone shoved a cell phone in his face and played him a four-second video of him laying on the ground at LOKICON, Loki’s right hand caressing his inner thigh and his left pulling Bucky down for a kiss as the three of them disappeared in a green flash.

_Just great. Perfect timing._

“Yeah, I have a comment. You see that green? _That’s_ Loki’s magic. It’s not red.”

“Are you in a relationship with Loki? Is he in a relationship with Winter Soldier? Are the rumors about you and Barnes true? Have you been secretly in love since before World War Two?”

He briefly considered trying to explain that Loki was healing his leg in that video, but that still wouldn’t explain the kiss, so he’d decided it was time. Time to tell the world, whether Loki and Bucky were ok with it or not. He had little choice now but to either embrace it or deny it, and he wasn’t going to deny it. He exhaled a deep breath and paused for a few moments, and a dozen faces waited expectantly with microphones in their hands and cameras over their shoulders.

“Yes. Yes to all of those questions. The three of us are in a relationship—all together—and have been for several months now.”

There was a stunned silence that lasted about three seconds, and then such a cacophony of voices that he couldn’t begin to hear any one question. The camera flashes nearly blinded him, and he braced himself for the onslaught.

James and Loki had been watching CNN, hoping for more news about the New Asgard incident and at the same also hoping not to see anything new related to Loki, when the banner came across the bottom of the screen.

CAPTAIN AMERICA ADMITS TO SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIP WITH WINTER SOLDIER AND GOD OF MISCHIEF

“Holy shit,” James swore.

“Indeed, James. That was...an unexpected turn of events.”

They watched and listened to the live broadcast as Steve answered question after question, keeping his head and reiterating the same points: Yes, the three of us. Yes, it’s real. Bucky and Loki are no longer the same people they were—I trust them, and you can, too. No, Loki is not guilty of any of these accusations. Tony Stark supports them completely and we're still friends, in spite of our differences on the Sokovia Accords.

And, he handled the very last question with the same grace he’d shown for the past fifteen minutes.

“Do you think the world is ready for a gay superhero?”

“If you thought I was a hero fifteen minutes ago, why should who I love change your opinion? The only difference is that there are three of us now and we’re all working together to make the world a better place.”

And, with that, he waved off any more questions and strode away for half a block, then broke into a run the rest of the way back to Tony’s place.

*****

It was another week until Tony was snatched, but Sylvie finally couldn’t resist the temptation of him walking in the park by himself. Loki had said her skill at shape-shifting was limited compared to his because he’d had a thousand years of practice, and Tony was pretty certain the tall black woman coming his way was Sylvie—the main difference was that her skin was black. He made a concerted effort to be casual and nod a “hello” at her.

“Aren’t you Tony Stark?” she asked, doing her best to sound like a breathless fan girl.

He smiled and extended a hand.

“Why, yes, I am. And, you are...?”

“Enchantress,” she offered, taking his hand, and they disappeared in a flash of red.

When he opened his eyes, he was flat on his back inside a brick room with one door and no windows. Probably a basement, he thought, and hoped it was a basement in New York City. He was still a little groggy from whatever she’d done to him and it took a minute for his head to clear. She was sitting in a chair facing him, wearing dark leather Asgardian-style breeches and a red tunic, long legs stretched out and knees wide apart. Black hair tumbled around her shoulders. Her arms were crossed, her head tilted a little sideways as she watched him, and there was a half-smile on her lips.

_God damn. Just like him, down to the mannerisms._

If he’d had any doubts about her being Loki’s clone, they were gone now.

“Good evening, Mr. Stark. Pleased to finally make your acquaintance. Loki seems to think very highly of you.”

_Goddess of Politeness, too. Is that genetic or learned?_

“As I’m sure you would know...how?”

He met her gaze and smiled wryly.

“Oh, Mr. Stark...I’ve been watching you for a long time...all of you. His Captain, his Soldier, his King—did you know that’s how he thinks of you? Are you his lover, too, or just the two superhumans? I suppose I should be flattered that it took all of you to replace _me_.”

He didn’t respond to that—wasn’t exactly sure _how_ to respond, truth be told. In any case, it had been awhile ago.

“But, I _am_ curious about something. I know he tried to kill you—threw you through a window, correct? And you nearly died closing the wormhole. Mankind’s hero. How is it you and he ended up as Shield-Brothers?”

Tony thought about that for awhile before answering.

“Hm. I'm really glad you asked that question. After he nearly died saving Thor later and then stole the cargo ship to save all those Asgardians, I figured he deserved another chance, and he hasn’t disappointed me, yet. Everyone deserves a second chance. Even you.”

“Whatever do you mean, Mr. Stark? Are you implying the great Iron Man can even redeem The Enchantress?”

“Not Iron Man—you. You can still redeem yourself. Just stop this _thing_ you’re doing—this mission to destroy Loki by destroying everything he loves now.Just walk away. Go to some other planet or realm or whatever you call it, and do something good for someone.”

She threw her head back and laughed, and it was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a normal laugh. It truly did sound like what people described as ‘maniacal.’ It reminded him of Ivan Vanko’s laugh.

_Oh, well...it was worth a shot._

“Mr. Stark, you ask the impossible. I would follow Loki to the end of the universe to punish him for what he did to me. He sent me to Hel, and meant it to be forever. Do you have any idea what that means?”

”Not a good place to spend eternity, I’m guessing. Especially if you aren’t dead.”

“You’re a smart man, Mr. Stark. Are you smart enough to figure out what I’ll do once I kill him? I know much about this planet, about your cultures, and I know I can rule you better than he ever could have. I know how he thinks. I know how you think.”

“If you know all that, then you know he wouldn’t risk you taking me without a good reason. Did you think I was just walking alone because I enjoy the scenery? I have a message for you.”

Her expression went from smug self-assuredness to confusion.

“You’re an amateur compared to him. How long have you been alive? Nine or ten years? Sprung from his hand like a puppet,” he snorted derisively.

She leapt to her feet like a cat, fists clenching and unclenching, anger darkening her features. He was walking a fine line here, trying to goad her without pissing her off so much she’d lose her temper and kill him. She was probably considerably more volatile than Loki, who was unpredictable enough, but he couldn’t resist.

“I am no puppet! Would you like to see a _puppet_?” she sneered, and twisted an index finger and thumb at him.

He immediately dropped to his knees, hands raised over his head. She twitched her hand and he came to his feet, moving sideways in a sort of macabre dance.

“ _I’m_ the puppet. I get it. Very subtle,” he smirked, raising his head just enough to meet her eyes. 

_Beautiful, insane green eyes I could get lost in if I'm not careful,_ he cautioned himself.

She crossed the room in two strides and punched him hard enough that he saw stars. Blood dripped from both nostrils as he went flying backwards into the wall andbounced to the floor on his back, and he grunted in pain.

_So, she’s nearly as strong as he is, too. Good to know._

He was very glad his nanite suit only took two-and-a half seconds to form around him if he needed it.

“The only reason you’re still alive is because I need you as bait, you...you _human_.”

She nearly spat the last word at him, like he was nothing more than an insect. Fury had told him the story of the first time he’d seen Loki, and he’d never forgotten those words:

_An ant has no quarrel with a boot._

“Exactly. You won’t kill me because you need me to get to him. You aren’t strong enough to face him in a real fight.”

She back-handed him across the cheek, her face flushed with rage.

“Not _strong_ enough?! What did he say, exactly? _Tell me_!”

And, then, he knew he had her.

“He said this has to end, but he doesn’t want to kill you. He wants to meet in Central Park tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m, just you and him. Captain America and Winter Soldier will be there for crowd control—because there _will_ be a crowd—but he gives you his sworn oath they won’t fight you. If you can make him kneel, he’ll surrender to you and you can do whatever you want with him.”

Her lips twisted in a sly smile.

“His sworn oath? He has a way of twisting reality with his words, but I’ve never seen him break an oath. So much the better. His beloved soldiers will get to watch him kneel to me before he dies...but, he still he doesn’t want to kill me? The second time he’s made that mistake, and this time it will cost him his life. I give you _my_ oath on that.”

She turned on her heel and walked out.

Tony spent the night on the floor, waking up stiff, thirsty, and cold when Sylvie entered the room the next morning. She ignored him at first, morphing into armor similar to Loki’s in front of him, undoubtedly so he could despair at what Loki was about to face. The armor was more a bronze color than gold, her helmet had small wings like Thor’s, and she had a mace at her waist. Tony couldn’t help but admire what an imposing figure she cut—as tall as Loki and every bit as beautiful and dangerous. She gave him a casual warning, seemingly an afterthought, just before she disappeared.

“The door has a ward on it, by the way. If you touch it, you’ll die. But, if you’d like to save me the trouble of killing you once I’m done with Loki, feel free.”

_Jesus. This had better work or we’re all dead._

*****

At 5:45, Loki stood in the middle of a clearing in Central Park, watching the sun rise over the trees, armor glinting in the pink rays of light, with Steve and James flanking him about thirty feet behind. Only a few joggers and people walking dogs were visible, and they stopped in their tracks when they saw him.

“Please leave this area at once. This is about to become a battle zone. Be warned,” he announced in a loud voice.

Steve and Bucky began motioning people to move away; most of them moved, but some were too curious to leave.

At nearly the same moment Sylvie appeared a hundred feet away, a white NYPD helicopter with blue stripes and a red news helicopter both skimmed over the tree line.

“Loki! This is the New York City Police. Stop what you’re doing and give yourself up NOW.”

Even if he’d intended to respond, which he hadn’t, there wasn’t a chance to. A red ball of fire exploded on the ground about ten feet in front of him.

Sylvie laughed and moved toward him.

“What a perfect setting, Loki. You always did have a flair for the dramatic. Now, the whole world can watch you kneel to your better half.”

In what Loki assumed was mainly theatrics for the news camera, Sylvie lifted a hand toward a large Oak tree and it uprooted, flying across the clearing towards him. He waved it aside with his left hand and it stopped in mid-air, then dropped to the ground.

The loudspeaker from the helicopter boomed overhead again.

”Loki and Enchantress, we repeat: Stand down NOW and surrender or we will be forced to take action against you.”

With an annoyed glance upward, Sylvie threw a fireball at the helicopter and Loki barely reacted in time. He managed to contain the helicopter momentarily in a green bubble, and the fireball disintegrated as it made contact. The pilot made the sensible decision to retreat back over the treetops and not engage, but the news copter continued to hover and film.

“Well, well...you truly have grown fond and protective of these humans. Good to know.”

By now, a large number of people had encircled them on the edges of the clearing, jockeying for position for a good view of the action. Steve and Bucky were managing to keep them from getting too close, but it was becoming more and more difficult.

Sylvie and Loki continued to exchange shots, pitting the green meadow with smoking craters. One of Loki’s ice-shards penetrated deeply enough into Sylvie’s protection that it grazed her thigh, and she shrieked in surprised anger. She recovered and shot a half-dozen back at him. One got through his defense, too, and drew blood on an arm.

“Sylvie! Is that all you’ve got? I remember so much more.”

The surrounding crowd was yelling, gesturing, and starting to surge forward until police in riot gear appeared and began pushing them back. Loki and Sylvie were both obviously weakening a little now, draining power nearly continuously, but she drew herself up and threw a boulder at him. He barely deflected it in time.

“You’re finished, Loki. It’s just a matter of time. You can’t outlast _me_. You made me stronger than you when you banished me to that _place_.”

“You’ll never be stronger than I am, Sylvie, no matter how much you wish it. Do you know why? Because I have _them_.”

He raised a fist and Steve and James strode to either side of him.

“You swore an oath that they’d stay out of it! Liar!”

“No. I swore they wouldn’t fight, and I don’t need them to. Just having them here is all I need to defeat you, because you’re nothing but a subset of _me_ , and you’re _weak_ , Sylvie. You couldn’t beat me at children’s magic tricks.”

“ _BASTARD_! I am not _weak_!”

Her face contorted with rage, she loosed two fireballs, and Loki could only watch as they hit Steve and James in the chest. In a split-second, they both disappeared in explosions of red ash.

The crowd stopped everything they were doing and froze in utter shock, not believing what they’d just seen, while the news and police helicopters still hovered overhead. The crowd began shrieking, screaming, crying, and even the police in riot gear seemed frozen, jaws dropping in disbelief. They were gone. Captain America and Winter Soldier were just _gone_. They were nothing but dust and ashes, and one of America’s greatest heroes was simply _no more_. Loki fell to his knees in shock, stunned, as if he’d been struck a near-fatal blow to the head. He stared wide-eyed at Sylvie and pulled off his helmet, letting it fall to the ground beside him, and his voice broke when he tried to speak.

_“You...killed them...how...could you...I gave you my sworn oath...James...Steve...”_

Tears ran down his cheeks and fell like rain into the dirt. He collapsed back onto his heels, head bowed nearly to his chest, sobbing as she strode towards him. His grief was palpable, like an aura around him, reaching out to her—reaching inside her like the old connection.

“If only...if only you’d loved _me_ as much as you loved _them_...we could have done it, Loki. We could have ruled together. But, _you_...you couldn’t, could you?”

“I did—I did love you, Sylvie—with every shred of my being, every broken piece of me—as much as I was capable of loving _anyone_ , then.”

“ _YOU NEVER LOVED ME! You couldn’t even love yourself, let alone a copy! You weren’t the only one he tore apart, and you let him do it! To both of us! Why didn’t you stop him? Why?”_

She leaned over him, the pain and anger that had seethed inside her for years came pouring out, and she back-handed him across the face. His head snapped back and he gazed up at her, blood trickling from his mouth and nose, voice barely a whisper.

“I know it’s too late—but I’m sorry, Sylvie. I did love you, but I was so twisted, then...so lost. I loved _him_ more, and I couldn’t let you be his champion. And, then, I failed him. It _should_ have been you.”

She was crying, now, too—shoulders heaving as she towered over him. She took his face between her hands, looking into his eyes, the pain in her heart overflowing.

“You were _everything_ to me—my maker, my father, mother, lover, teacher—but you _banished_ me. And now...now, you’re going to die. Maybe you’ll see your Captain and your Soldier wherever your black soul goes—part of me even hopes you do. I loved you. But, you should have killed me when you had the chance.”

She raised the mace over her head, about to strike the death-blow, when something cold and hard snapped around her neck and she heard a click. Behind her, uncloaked now, Iron Man’s hands were still around her neck as Captain America and Winter Soldier each grabbed an arm and twisted it behind her. The sound of people cheering almost drowned out the noise from the helicopters.

She tried to teleport away and nothing happened.

_“NO! NO! What did you do?! How...?”_

He sighed and slowly got to his feet, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Sylvie. I had to distract you. The collar...it blocks magic. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know it was tested on me first.”

“But, _them_...I _killed_ them...”

“No, not the real them. The ones I made—poor, soulless imitations of clones like you—while the real ones found Tony.”

“How did you—?”

“Tracking spell. I told you you were an amateur,” said Tony, and Sylvie just stared at the ground, eyes wide in shock as Tony snapped heavy metal cuffs around her wrists.

“Loki, how are you doing?” asked James, searching Loki’s face and finding only sadness.

He looked pointedly into James’ blue eyes and then Steve’s.

“You heard...all of it?”

“Yes,” Steve nodded.

“Yeah. But, you aren’t that man anymore, Loki. If anyone can understand that, it’s me. And Steve,” James said.

“Did you have any problems getting Tony out?”

“He warned us about the door. Bucky took a hell of a jolt opening it, but his arm absorbed most of it. It’s all right, Loki. It’s finished, and everyone’s ok,” Steve reassured him.

“I’m not sure I’d go that far, but we’re all alive, at least. Thank you for doing this, Tony. You saved a lot of lives.”

Loki seemed distracted and kept his eyes on Sylvie, but his face was calm as four police approached him, two in riot gear and two in plain clothes with badges.

“Loki Odinson. There is still a warrant for you, and you're under arrest. Put your hands behind your back and come with us—please, sir.”

He tilted his head at Tony questioningly.

“Yeah, I have a good idea what she can do, now, physically. Rogers and Barnes can handle her. We’ll keep her under control until you get your legal issues worked out and we figure out what to do with her.”

Loki nodded, moved his hands behind his back, and a pair of handcuffs locked around his wrists.

“You’ll make her available for questioning, Mr. Stark,” said one of the officers. It was a statement and not a question.

“Of course. Whenever you want.”

The police escorted Loki away and he glanced over his shoulder as Tony, Steve, and James took Sylvie in the opposite direction. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t help but feel a little surge of pride as she straightened to full height, held her head up, and marched away with them, defeated but unbroken. That part of himself was the best thing he’d given her.

*****

Loki stared out the window of the holding cell, watching the lines of people marching in front of the prison. He’d been remanded straight to the New York State Prison system, because the city jail simply couldn’t handle the number of people on the street in front of their building. He was here only by his own volition and everyone knew he could free himself whenever he wanted; but, he was determined to play by humanity’s rules, for now, for James and Steve. The dream of being free to be with them openly guided every decision he made, now. If Captain America were to be associated with known criminals, they would at least be _reformed_ criminals.

Cassandra was there with the protesters in front of the prison. With Sylvie no longer a threat, she’d undoubtedly organized the whole thing. They carried signs that said “FREE THE GOD OF MISCHIEF” or “LOKI’S ARMY” or “LOKI IS INNOCENT.” They chanted his name, and it made him shake his head in wonder that they’d do that, after everything that had happened and more people had died because of him. Humans...they were an eternal mystery.

After he’d been processed, he was taken to a cell in maximum security solitary confinement, not out of concern for his safety, but for the other prisoners'. Who knew what would happen if someone started a fight with Loki? No one wanted to find out.

By the second morning, he’d gotten word that Steve and James would be coming to see him the next day with an attorney Tony’d hired. Since he’d not been given any books or access to any television, he’d decided to just meditate and keep himself as low-profile as possible. He’d been tempted to use magic to entertain himself, but decided against it. If they had some way to detect whether he was using it, that might make things worse, so he’d decided to forego magic until he was out of here.

But, the night was...difficult. He’d spent time in space on occasion, just to see how long he could tolerate it, and it was never more than a few minutes until it felt like his cells started to explode. It was probably only because of his Jotunn blood that he could survive it at all. After falling into The Void when he’d let go of Odin’s spear, he’d tried to duplicate the feeling a few times, and the memory of it was as fresh as the last time he’d done it. The silence and the solitude here were nearly the equal of that, and he wasn’t certain how many nights he could tolerate it. The next morning after breakfast, a guard opened the cell door, and Loki was expecting to be taken to see Steve and James. But, that was most definitely not the impression he got from this man.

“Stand up, Odinson. I’ve got something for you.”

By the tone of the voice, he knew it was not something good, but he did as he was told. When the guard drew his billy club and stepped through the door, Loki braced himself for the blow. Most humans couldn’t hit him hard enough to do real damage, but this was a big man who knew how to use his weapon, and he struck Loki across the cheekbone as hard as he could. It was enough to send him stumbling back two steps and he could feel his left eye swelling and blood running down his cheek. He made no move to block or retaliate as a second one landed on his jaw, and the guard nodded at him.

“That was for my cousin Ben. He was a cop and he died in the Battle of New York.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. May I sit back down now?”

“Yeah. I just really needed to do that. It’s been a long time coming and I know you can fix yourself, anyway. Too bad he couldn’t do the same.”

“It’s all right. I won’t be using any magic while I’m in here, and I deserved that. Do it again, if you need to.”

The guard stared at him in confusion for a moment, then closed the door and left. By the time he came back two hours later, the cuts were mostly healed and the swelling had gone down, but he had a black eye.

“Report me if you want, Odinson. It was worth it.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll be healed by this afternoon.”

“Well, that’s great for you, because you’re free to go. Come with me.”

“What? Is this a joke?”

“Not a joke, unfortunately. Your boyfriends are here with your attorney and you’re a free man-alien-whatever. Good luck living with yourself, you psychopathic son-of-a-bitch.”

“If it’s any comfort, I still have nightmares about it.”

Not as many, now, since James and Steve, but he didn’t see any point in mentioning that.

”Good. So does his wife.”

When he rounded a corner into a large room, Steve’s face lit up and James pulled him into a long bear hug, then reluctantly let Steve take his place.

“What the fuck happened to your face?” he asked, touching Loki’s eyebrow gently.

“Just someone needing a little closure. Nothing to worry about.”

Steve shot him a look that said ‘we’ll be talking about this later,’ but let it go for the time being.

“Loki, this is Josh Mendenhall, your attorney. You can thank him for your short stay here. He was brilliant. Got a full confession from Sylvie.”

“Well, it wasn’t that difficult, really. It was more like she was taking credit for everything. She sure as hell wants the world to know who she is,” said Josh.

“Yes, well, that would be the part of me I wish she hadn’t gotten,” Loki said with a rueful smile.

He shook Mendenhall’s hand Midgardian-style, thanked him, and shifted into his favorite “normal” clothes—black leather breeches and a light green button-down shirt. It was a big relief to leave the prison orange behind. When they stepped through the door to the outside, the noise nearly bowled him over, and he stopped in his tracks. There were people lining the sidewalk three or four deep and dozens of cell phones were videoing the whole thing as they made their way to the street about a hundred feet away.

Steve and James instinctively stepped up protectively on either side of him and before he even realized what he was doing, he’d grabbed both their hands and raised them in the air. Loud cheers went up as they walked toward the waiting car Tony had sent. It was a black SUV with no identifiers other than the license plate, which read LOKI STARK.

Cassandra was waiting near the end of the line, closest to the vehicle, and Loki stopped in front of her. She was laughing and near tears. He hugged her, kissed her on the mouth and said “Thank you.”

As she touched his bruised cheek, he was more than aware of the dozens of photos being taken at that moment, and Cassandra mouthed back _“_ No—thank _you.”_ One of those photos was definitely going in the book.

Bucky turned to the crowd, raised their hands again, and shouted out to the crowd.

”Thank you! Thank you all! We love you!”

That was such a jaw-droppingly surprising, but familiar, glimpse of the old version of Bucky that Steve snorted out loud and repeated the gesture, laughing. It brought back a memory of the two of them walking away from a fight outside a school dance when they’d been teenagers. He’d picked a fight with a guy who was giving a girl a hard time (of course), and Bucky had saved his scrawny ass from a beating. Or, at least he’d stopped it from being a worse beating, and the other kids had cheered them as the three of them had walked away with Bucky’s arm around the girl.

It was his first memory of being in love with Bucky and it almost brought him to tears.

_My God...what a different world this is now. Maybe this can really happen._

They slid into the back seat of the limo and the cheers faded away as they headed toward Tony’s. Loki rested his head on James’ shoulder and gripped Steve’s hand so tightly it nearly lost circulation.

_*****_

They spent days talking, negotiating, planning, and deciding what to do with Sylvie. She’d refused to tell them anything about how she’d escaped Hel, and Loki was reluctant to send her back, even with the collar on. Loki had brought it back with him from Sakaar for Tony, and he’d finally figured out how to open it using technology. If Tony and Grandmaster could both remove it, then someone else could, too.

Finally, they’d reached a compromise with the prosecutors on her going to Maximum Security in the New York State system, as Loki had been kept, until her trial. Even without magic, she was still dangerous, but they should be able to handle her, as long as they were careful. Loki was ambivalent about the trial, because New York had disestablished the death penalty, and that would mean a life sentence without parole. It would be even worse than when he’d been sentenced to life in the dungeons of Asgard—five thousand years in solitary confinement without any magic—and, he couldn’t wish that on her, no matter how many lives she’d taken. Execution would be preferable, and if it came down to it, he’d do it himself, if necessary. He hoped it didn’t come to that.

After they’d taken her away, Tony suggested the three of them take a few days at Loki’s house in the forest. He still had no idea where that was and he was curious, but thought it better to leave that an unknown—plausible deniability had worked well on more than one occasion, and the press was hounding him for information on the “relationship issue.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was a beautiful summer evening in the Black Forest when they teleported to Loki’s hidden ”Fortress of Solitude.” It had become a running joke that they’d started calling it that in an homage to the fictional hero Superman. No one was completely satisfied with the Sylvie situation, but at least it was stable for the moment, and they were actively trying not to think about it for a few days. Bucky cooked them a sort of celebratory dinner in honor of that, and they complemented it with some real Asgardian Ale. Brunhilde had gifted them a few cases of their special Asgardian Brew after they’d helped rebuild the damaged park and buildings, and it _was_ nice to be able to get a real buzz, for a change. It sparked an idea in Loki’s head that, when he had more time, he might work on a spell that could do the same things as alcohol or drugs to heighten the senses (or dull them, if that was the goal). Something to think about.

“We kind of left Tony holding the bag with the news people. I feel a little bad,” Bucky said, over a mountain of his special Spaghetti Puttanesca with truffles.

“It was Tony’s idea we come here to get away. He’ll be fine. He’s had more practice with the press than all of us combined, times ten. I’m just glad it’s finally out there,” Steve observed, sipping his Ale.

“Do you really think the world is ready for this? For us?” Bucky asked Steve.

“Yeah, I do. I’ve always been an optimist at heart, and maybe I have more faith in people than either of you two. I guess we’ll find out soon.”

“I’m gonna go have a soak in that super-cool magic bathtub while you two clean up. Come join me when you’re done,” Bucky announced.

He’d just filled the tub and sunk down into it neck-deep when Loki and Steve appeared, both grinning at him as they nodded to each other.

“OK, what’s going on? Are you making fun of me? You know how much I love this tub, and I am _not_ embarrassed about it.”

“No, not making fun of you. We just thought you might enjoy some entertainment while you soak,” Steve said casually, as he pulled his shirt off over his head, then unzipped his jeans and stepped out of them.

He really wasn’t psychologically equipped to do any sort of striptease—still too inhibited, even around them—but, he did manage to slowly remove his boxer briefs without looking like a dork, which is how he often thought of himself. But, Steve knew he was unnaturally attractive. He’d always been modest about it, because he gave the serum most of the credit, but that didn’t change the fact that he was, along with these two, considered one of the sexiest men on the planet. He often wondered how he’d gotten so lucky. He loved the hungry look in Loki’s eyes and the way Bucky’s tongue ran along his upper lip when they looked at him like this. He slowly unbuttoned Loki’s shirt and slid it off his shoulders, then pulled him forward by the front of his leather breeches. The inhuman feel of Loki’s skin had always been special to him, and he couldn’t resist kissing a line up Loki’s torso to his neck, following with the barest touch of fingertips trailing behind. It felt like satin.

“ _Oh_...Steve, you know what that does to me,” Loki murmured, and Steve’s only response was to suck and then rub his thumbs across Loki’s nipples.

When they hardened, one hand squeezed the bulge in Loki’s leathers as his teeth bit down on one nipple, and Loki groaned. He was leaning against the sink, head thrown back, lips parted, as Steve’s mouth left a trail of purple marks down his midline to his navel. He dropped to his knees in front of Loki and undid one lacing at a time in slow motion, then pushed the leather down just below his hips. When Loki’s erection jutted out in front of him, he chuckled a little.

“Wow...impatient, aren’t we? I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.”

“Ah. I’d say it looks pretty good from up here,” Loki said softly, as his fingers carded through Steve’s hair.

“It looks damn fine from over here, too. I’ve never really watched you two like this before, and it’s...making me want things. Take his pants off, Steve—I want to see those legs,” Bucky said, grinning.

Steve slid them down to mid-thigh and looked up.

“A little lube, please.”

Loki took hold of his own cock and began to stroke with alternating hands until it was glistening, then took each of Steve’s hands into his own, rubbing the silky liquid into his palms.When one of Steve’s hands wrapped around the base and the other began moving up and down on the shaft and head, Loki’s hips jerked forward and his head backward.

“Ok, Loki, lose the pants,” Steve whispered, and for a moment, Steve didn’t think Loki’d heard him.

“What? Oh...sorry, I was somewhere else—“ Loki said, mostly to himself, as the breeches disappeared.

“Mmm...dear gods of Asgard...what...have I ever done...to deserve you?” Loki asked, his breath stuttering, as the sensation of Steve’s hand squeezing hard, sliding up and down, was about to overwhelm him.

When Steve felt Loki about to climax, he aimed the fountain of hot liquid towards him and let Loki come all over his face.

“God _damn_ , that was hot!” Bucky exclaimed, chin resting on the edge of the tub.

Loki, still breathing hard, pulled Steve up to eye-level.

“What—why did you do that? You don’t even like it.”

Steve shrugged and kissed him with cum-covered lips.

“I don’t love it, but I love that you love it.”

Loki laughed and waved it all away off Steve’s face, then summoned them each an Ale, handing one to James. Steve slipped into the tub behind Bucky, bracketing his legs around his hips and arms around his chest. He kissed the scar where metal met skin and worked his way up his neck.

“ _Mmm_...that’s nice...keep going,” he murmured, as Steve’s teeth nipped at his jugular vein.

Loki tossed back his ale, leaned down to kiss James, then stepped into the tub. The subtle scent of lavender and cinnamon began to fill the room as the steam from the hot water thickened.

“You like that scent or shall I change it?” Loki asked.

“Gardenias. I’ve always loved the smell of Gardenias,” James answered.

Loki twitched a finger and the smell of Gardenias replaced the lavender and cinnamon, and James raised an eyebrow at Loki.

“Why are you pampering me so much? I’m suspicious. You two are collaborating on something. ”

“Hmm. Should we tell him or just surprise him?” Loki asked.

Steve winked at Loki, nuzzled Bucky’s ear and whispered against it.

“Because Loki asked me what _I_ wanted to do this evening, and I told him. What I want...is to put you through the wringer tonight, Buck. Make you work. Make you sweat. Maybe make you bleed a little.”

He groaned out loud as Steve bit his neck and Loki stroked his growing erection—it had been a hot minute since they’d played rough and just the thought of it made his pulse race and his dick stiffen. He loved it almost as much as Loki did.

“I want to try my hand with those flogs and see if I can make you moan the way Loki can. Then, after we’ve made you come so many times you have nothing left, I want to watch you suck his cock while I fuck you, and we’ll wring one more out of you. How does that sound?”

_“Oh, God...Steve.”_

Loki let go of James’ dick and his hand was quickly replaced by Steve’s. Loki’s voice was in his ear on the other side from Steve—that deep, throaty purr that made electricity jolt down his spine.

“James, our handsome soldier...we’re going to tax you tonight—make you moan and beg—for the whip, for my mouth, for his cock, for anything we want to give you. By the time we’re done with you, you won’t know whether you’re begging for more or begging for mercy.”

“Umm...well, I’m already moaning...but, I’ll _never_ beg for mercy,” James said, eyes sparkling and voice dripping with challenge.

“We’ll see,” whispered Loki, just before taking a deep breath and dipping down into the water.

He sucked the rock-hard length deep into his mouth just as Steve pulled James’ head back by the hair and sank teeth into his neck. The sensation of being sucked underwater took him by surprise and his pelvis snapped upward, nearly choking Loki. But, Loki’d had a lot of practice and barely flinched, using both hands on James’ hips to pull him even deeper in. He was determined that James would come before he had to take another breath, and Steve’s hand tight around the base helped make it happen. Within another minute, Loki’s efforts were rewarded with a mouthful of hot liquid, and he didn’t surface until he’d swallowed it all.

“How many times do you think we can make him come tonight?” Loki asked, a little breathless, as water dripped off his chin.

“As many as you, maybe. We have all night, after all. What do you, think, Buck?”

"I think you’d better bring your A-Game, if you think that’s gonna make me beg for mercy.”

*****

Bucky’s mind was hazy and he had to concentrate in order to stand without swaying in front of the padded green post in their playroom. Sweat dripped down the inside of his right arm as he hung from the green and gold cuffs, and hair was matted to his forehead. His left arm glowed in the soft amber light, beads of moisture forming on the metal from his own body heat. He’d just come again and drops of white liquid dripped down the green leather cover of the post in front of him. Loki’s fingers traced the bottom of his ribcage, then dragged down the outsides of both thighs, fingernails digging in to make bright pink trails. He knelt behind James, his tongue licking a wet stripe between the cheeks of his ass as Steve landed a last strike across Bucky’s shoulders with the flogs.

“Can you smell it, Steve? That scent of _want_ —need—in him. He’s not done yet.”

There was no blood because the soft deerskin flogs weren’t really designed to draw blood—only to pull as much sensation as possible from the skin they made tender and hot. Bucky’s entire back and ass were bright pink and so sensitive to touch that his knees nearly buckled when Loki’s teeth grazed across the marks near the tops of his thighs.

Steve stopped what he was doing and Loki stood up, summoning a bottle of water that he put to James’ lips, letting him gulp half of it down. He offered the other half to Steve, who dropped the flogs and finished it just as thirstily, then grabbed Loki’s arm, pulling him in close.

“Kiss me,” ordered Steve, and Loki’s lips covered his, breath hot on his cheek, then worked their way down his chest to his left nipple. Loki’s tongue teased across it and he bit down just hard enough to make Steve moan.

“I think you need more than a kiss, my Captain,” he breathed into Steve’s ear as their erections pressed up against each other.

“I think you need your cock in my mouth.”

“I think _you_ need my cock in your mouth. You’ve already had his twice, and I think I’d rather make you wait—unless Bucky’s done and had enough,” Steve teased.

“Enough? _No_. I want...I need...” came James’ voice, soft and a little hoarse.

“What is it you need, Buck?” asked Steve, his tone playful.

“ _More_. I want...to float...Loki knows.”

Steve raised his eyebrows at Loki, not sure what was happening.

“You’re certain, James?” Loki asked, cupping his chin with his hand and meeting his eyes.

“Yeah. Tonight, with both of you. Love you...trust you...nothing better,” he smiled faintly, flexing in his cuffs.

“All right, then. Steve, I need to speak with you. Help me find a couple of things.”

He summoned another bottle of water, let James drink his fill, then left him hanging in the cuffs while he and Steve talked.

“This is difficult to explain, but it’s a _feeling—_ euphoria from endorphins, where the line between pain and pleasure blurs and your mind lets go. Some people describe it as floating, like an out-of-body experience. You came close one time, I think, the first time we were in this room together.”

“I remember...when you used the cane on me...being a little light-headed, and there was nothing in my mind but _you_.”

“Yes. It’s called _subspace_. You were close, but you didn’t trust me enough to completely let go, then. But, I’ve been there with you, once, the last night we were together here—the night you saw those marks on my back. You were magnificent.”

Steve kissed him long and hard, pulling their naked bodies even closer.

“OK. If that’s what he wants, let’s do this.”

“Find a blindfold and a ball gag, and I’ll pick out a whip.”

Bucky was getting restless in his cuffs and squirming a little by the time they got back to him, and Steve ran his fingers soothingly through the sweaty, matted hair.

“Shhh...we’re here, Buck. You’ll get what you need, I promise.”

Loki showed him a short-handled whip with three braided strands of leather, and he nodded. Steve murmured in his ear as he slipped the blindfold on and the ball gag in, and felt Bucky relax as soon as he buckled it.

“Those cuffs and chains are made to hold our strength, so you can’t break them, remember? Let me see your hand signals.”

Bucky signaled with flat palms for green, thumbs across palms for yellow, and both fists clenched together for red.

“One more thing,” Loki said, touching a finger to James’ forehead, then planting a quick kiss on the lips.

“It’s a silence spell, so he won’t be able to hear anything, either. It’ll help him focus.”

He handed Steve the whip and turned around, stepping one long pace away.

“Now, hit me. I’ll tell you if it’s too much or too little. Just let James sink into the stillness for a few minutes.”

Steve looked a little doubtful, but struck Loki a tentative blow across the shoulders, and three faint pink lines appeared.

“Again, with a little more authority,” Loki said, over his shoulder.

Steve repeated it and Loki flinched slightly.

“There—that’s it. I’ll warm him up first with a few softer ones, then you’ll do it exactly like that; but, be tuned to how he reacts every time, and be ready to give a little more or a little less. That was perfect—can you tell?”

He took Steve’s hand and put it on his cock and balls.

“I never knew this was such a science. But, then, I never really knew exactly what it was, in the first place,” Steve said, one corner of his mouth curling upward.

“It’s more than a science. It’s a connection that only a few adventurous souls ever experience. And, to experience it with someone you truly love is rarer still. You’re a good natural Dom—just let it out. That’s what he needs tonight.”

*****

After Loki had gotten James close to the brink, he handed the whip to Steve. James was barely standing on his feet, much of his weight supported by his wrists in the cuffs, and his forehead was pressed into the post. Loki suspended the silence spell for a moment.

“Color?” he asked.

He responded immediately with flat palms.

“All right—he’s ready,” said Loki, recasting the silence spell.

Steve was a little unsure about this whole thing. Bucky had been moaning and twisting in his cuffs while Loki had made red marks appear all across his back, and he had an idea how much pain that caused. But, he trusted that Loki knew what he was doing and that Bucky knew what he’d been asking for. So, he brought the whip down across the red, striped flesh, and Bucky’s knees nearly buckled. After five more, his head fell backwards and a loud groan came around the ball gag. His back was bleeding now, oozing from vertical stripes Steve had artistically made in a near-perfect pattern.

Four more, and James had sunk down as far as he could go in the cuffs, nearly to his knees, leaning on the post, his breathing even and steady, but rapid. Loki removed the silence spell, removed the blindfold and ball gag, grabbed James by the hair, and put his lips to a sweaty cheek.

“Oh, James...you look so delectably wrecked, and your scent...pure sex. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted you more than I do at this moment. How are you feeling?”

“Ummm...wonderful...are you both here? Is this really happening or is it a dream?”

“We’re both here, James. What do you need?”

He smiled and turned glazed eyes on Loki.

“Pretty sure I was promised a good, hard fucking while I sucked your cock.”

Loki shook his head, not quite believing what he was hearing.

“Only you, James. Only you would ask for that right now.”

“Because I’m the only one who has the two hottest, most perfect men in the world. I love you both so goddamn much...”

Tears ran down his cheeks and Loki knew James was in the space; wished he could be there, too, but getting James there was what mattered tonight. Another time—when Steve was ready to handle both of them—that could be something truly astonishing.

He unbuckled the cuffs and Steve stepped up to support Bucky, who literally fell into his arms. He scooped him up easily and carried him to the bed as Loki cast a little clean-up spell, whisking away most of the blood and sweat.

“Are you sure about this, Buck? You look like you’re done,” Steve asked.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. _Fuck me,_ Steve.”

He pulled Loki to the edge of the bed and raised up on hands and knees, sucking Loki’s cock in like it was the last thing he’d ever taste. When Loki held his hair back and looked down with adoring eyes, James hummed a deep, contented moan around that cock, and it sent shivers up Loki’s spine. He began whispering again in the low voice James loved, just to let him hear it.

“Mm...James...I love to watch you do that almost as much as I love to watch Steve fuck you. You’re so beautiful like this, on your hands and knees for me—for _us—_ with that big, gorgeous cock so hard again. You’re going to come for us one more time tonight.”

Bucky’s mouth pulled off Loki with a pop, there had been so much suction.

“I’d like to see you try to stop me,” he challenged, blue eyes looking up into green, lips red and swollen and shiny with Loki’s slick.

Steve was on his knees behind Bucky, and he was _hard—_ harder and more aroused than he’d ever been in his life. He hadn’t allowed himself to come yet, and the whole night had been one long emotional high. At first, he didn’t think he’d last long enough to make him come again, but one look between Bucky’s legs made that thought fade away fast. He was dripping pre-cum as he sucked Loki, so Steve lubed up and pushed against him. As soon as Bucky felt him, he rocked back, and Steve just reacted. Without even thinking, he snapped his hips forward, the head of his cock pushed through the ring of muscle, and Bucky moaned so loudly, the vibration almost made Loki come apart.

James’ right arm was trembling, so he shifted to support more weight onto his left, and he fell into a rhythm, rocking back onto Steve and then forward onto Loki. His eyes closed, his thoughts blurred, and the world completely melted away into a white haze. There was nothing but the three of them, locked in step in the most carnal of dances.

“ _Steve_.”

Loki’s voice was raspy, barely more than a whisper, but Steve’s eyes met his as his hand wrapped around Bucky’s impossibly hard cock. Just that much was all it took for Bucky to be completely undone, shuddering and moaning. The contractions around Steve were so intense, and the growl that tore from James’ throat around Loki so deep and primal, that they both had to let it happen. They came at nearly the same moment, just as the last waves of James’ orgasm washed over him, and it was the closest thing to Nirvana he could ever have imagined.

*****

James was nestled between them, already half-asleep. He hadn’t even showered or bathed, which he usually loved to do after sex, but had instead let Loki clean him with magic. His head was on Loki’s chest and Steve gently kissed the raw, red stripes on his shoulders and back, because he hadn’t let Loki heal them. He’d wanted to fall asleep knowing they were there.

“How are you doing, James?” Loki asked, stroking his hair.

“Never better. I have to say your A-Game is gonna be hard to beat,” he murmured, and slipped into a sound sleep.

“Loki,” Steve whispered, reaching across Bucky to brush his fingers against Loki’s cheek.

“Steve?”

“It’s all right, Loki. It really is. We’re together now, and nothing can change that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title reference: The Left Hand of Darkness by U. K. LeGuin.
> 
> For a very different, interesting, and thoughtful take on this trio, I suggest  
> Loki in Furs By Kuzibah. Part of it inspired the idea for LOKICON. 
> 
> Give it a read, if you haven't already.
> 
> There’s plenty more in store for these three Marvel men I love. I hope I won’t keep you waiting too long, but there’s a big part coming, so it may take a little while. Steve’s last words to Loki may be a little...premature.


End file.
